Sunday, October 27, 2013

Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham

Muhammad ibn Abdullah, who died in 632 AD, was the founder of Islam. The most authoritative biography of Muhammad is titled "The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah)" originally written by Muhammad ibn Ishaq around 760 AD. No copy of that book remains, but around 800 AD, Ibn Hisham, a student of Ibn Ishaq reconstructed the biography from fragments and notes that he had collected.

In his own notes, Ibn Hisham made a rather troubling confession -- that he had omitted from the biography "things which it is disgraceful to discuss; matters which would distress certain people." (pg. 691)

First of all, Shamoun is assuming that Ibn Hisham was a scholar of hadith. Well, he wasn't. He was only a biographer and he didn't utilize the sophisticated methodology of hadith collection that hadith scholars make use of.

Secondly, Shamoun is assuming that the certain things that Ibn Hisham is speaking about of which he omitted are things that are related to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his actions. Ibn Hisham didn't specify exactly what he was talking about here. He only said that they are disgraceful things that distress certain people. He didn't specify what these things were. Furthermore, he went on to say:

But God willing I shall give a full account of everything else so far as it is known and trustworthy tradition is available.

So Ibn Hisham made it clear what his methodology was. Of course this was his intention according to him; this says nothing about how good of a job he did in doing so.

To calibrate just how disgraceful or distressing those things must have been, here is a sampling of the accounts that Ibn Hisham deemed worthy of including in the biography:

The Prophet Muhammad's marriage to Aisha: “He married Aisha in Mecca when she was a child of seven and lived with her in Medina when she was nine or ten.” (Muhammad was 52 at the time.) (pg. 792)

The EXECUTION OF THE QURAZAH JEWS 600-900 Jews: “Then the apostle went out to the market of Medina and dug trenches in it. Then he sent for [the Banu Qurayza Jews] and struck off their heads in those trenches as they were bought out to him in batches. There were 600 or 700 in all, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900. This went on until the apostle made an end of them.” (pg. 464)

Using Camels to Rip a Woman in Two: Muhammad sent Zayd b. Haritha to avenge the loss of some Muslims’ lives during a previous raid on Wadi’l-Qura. After killing several villagers, they took Umm Qirfa, the wife of Malik, prisoner. They killed her “by putting a rope to her two legs and to two camels and driving them until they rent her in two.” (pg. 665)

However there is no isnad or chain of transmission for this story

Approval of intercession by gods other than Allah: Anxious to attract people to Islam, Muhammad was reciting a verse from Allah, “Have you thought of al-Lat and al-Uzza and Manat the third, the other (all gods of the Quayrish tribe in Mecca).” Then, Satan put on Muhammad’s tongue, “these are the exalted Gharaniq (high flying cranes) whose intercession is approved.” (pg. 166) This verse was later revised after complaints by Muslims that it implied polytheism, and it can be seen in its present form in Surah 53:20.

What is Jihad

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Jihad is the greatest story ever told. We have never seen anything like it in world history. Jihad is an amazing story of how one lone man in the desert of Arabia had this vision...a vision which soon became reality. He envisioned that he would end the bloody never-ending war between the Roman-Christian empire and the Pagan-Persian Empire and make these bitter enemies along with the Jews live together peacefully. This was a very volatile mixture of Jews, Christians and the pagans were all bitter enemies and would engage in brutal attacks and massacres against each other. In fact, the Romans and the Persians fought for 600 long years before Jihad put an end to it.

In addition to that, Jihad ended the Jewish massacres of the Christians as well as vice versa. Jihad forced all the "infidels" to drop their swords and make them fellow citizens of a single nation and the Muslims will police them to ensure their safety and protection. After all, the bitter hatred and feelings of revenge will not dissipate over night. Jihad guaranteed freedom of religion for all, a fundamental right which Bible-based Christianity condemned during the life of Muhammad(P). That meant no more torture chambers no more inquisitions, no more persecution of heretics...all of which was all too common amongst the Christians and other non-believers. The jizya tax would pay for this service.

In conclusion, Jihad bought peace and stability to region and ended religious persecution at the hands of the Christians. The Quran calls upon true believers to fight for the oppressed and those in need as we read in chapter 4:75

And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the Cause of Allah, and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help.

The Quran makes an important point here - we see oppressed people on our TV screens as we sitdown for a nice dinner. The Quran argues... who will fight on their behalf? God calls upon men of valor to answer this call. Therefore Jihad is a noble institution. However there is a tremedous amount of false propaganda surrounding Jihad, and this website will seek to debunk the following false claims: